It is becoming increasingly commonplace for telephone sets to have loudspeakers. In the majority of modern telephone sets, the usual bell has been replaced by a loudspeaker which generates a warble or other tone. In some telephone sets, the so-called hands-free sets, a loudspeaker is provided for use in place of the usual handset receiver. In either case, the loudspeaker may draw a significant current compared with that drawn by the remaining telephone circuitry, which typically is fabricated using metal-oxide semiconductor (MOS) technology. In most cases, the current drawn by the loudspeaker and other circuitry in the set will be supplied from the central office by way of the subscriber loop. Any increase in this current will lead to a greater power loss due to the impedance of the loop, which may be quite large if the loop is long. Any reduction in current requirements would be beneficial, to allow either longer loops or more circuitry in the telephone set.